5 ways to instantly boost your curb appeal!

Jul 4, 2018

When it comes to getting your property ready for sale, it is not only the inside that counts. Dressing your property for sale on the outside is just as important as the inside. In this social media age, people have limited attention spans. You therefore only have a couple of seconds to make a great first impression. Here are a couple of tips when preparing your property for sale:

1. Make sure your property stands out

For your property to be competitive in the ever changing market, make sure it is one of the best looking properties in your street. This doesn’t mean go overboard or spend a lot of money renovating the front façade. Something as simple as giving your trims, gutters and front door a fresh lick of paint or putting up a picket fence can do the trick.

2. Access to your front door should be visible!

There is nothing quite as frustrating as having to painfully navigate your way through over growth to find someone’s front door. Most open homes are only scheduled for 30min. It is therefore important to ensure your buyers get into your house as quickly as possible so they can spend most of their time looking at the interior. Ensure that your path and driveway is cleared and that your property looks inviting and welcoming. There should be no confusion as to where the front door is!

 3. Remove any obstacles on the way to your front door!

This is such an easy fix and yet, people still think that having their own cars parked in the driveway, the garden hose sprawled out over the foot pathway or even garden tools lying around like landmines, are acceptable when having an open home. However, not only is it a safety hazard for your buyers, it is also not visually appealing. It is definitely worth spending extra time decluttering your front garden and making it save to move up the pathway!

4. Trim back the unruly Ivy and ferns

There is nothing wrong with a bit of greenery, and in most cases, a beautiful front garden will add value to your property. However, if your walls are overgrown with ivy, it can have the opposite effect on buyers. They might wonder, what is lurking underneath those plants? or the greenery looks very hard to maintain, I’m not sure if it is worth it?  These are not questions you want your potential buyers to entertain. If budget permits, get professionals in to give the front of your house a good clean and trim away any negative questions buyers may have.

5. Pick up loose leaves and branches scattered underneath trees.

No one has time anymore to get the rake out every weekend and gather up all the loose leaves and branches that has fallen down during the week. Therefore, if you have trees in the front yard, ensure they are trimmed back and loose leaves and branches have been picked up before open home. You don’t want potential buyers to be put off by a front yard that looks like it is high maintenance!

Remember, you have one shot at making a great impression. Switch off the telly and get cracking on that front yard of yours!